May 2010. Stephanie died peacefully on 19th April after a short stay in hospital. She had been suffering from acute cervical cancer. Fred will continue to run the business to the best of his ability. The web site is slowly getting under control again
as he tries to take over some of Stephanie's responsibilities, and learns some of the mysteries of Dreamweaver.

PiecesAn
on-line look at cameras etc.by Stephanie
Marriott

June/July 1998

Rollei SL26One of my favourite cameras is
the Rollei SL26, a single lens reflex camera for the 126
cartridge introduced in about 1968. I find it strange
that anyone would even think of making a high-quality
camera for 126 as the design of the cartridge (with no
pressure plate) appears, according to the experts, to
make a really high-quality result impossible. The
original price of the camera even more of a problem;
given the things that were being said about 126, it seems
unlikely anyone would pay about £153 ($299) in 1969
for the camera. The SL26 has an f/2.8 40 mm. Tessar lens
taking Rollei bayonet I filters, Compur shutter, t.t.l.
CdS meter and hot shoe. Accessory lenses were available;
the f/3.2 28 mm. Pro-Tessar and f/4 80 mm. Pro-Tessar,
but these were also expensive and could not be used on
any other camera. Production ceased in about 1973.

I have used my SL26 and I was quite
happy with the resulting enprints (except that they
displayed my photographic ineptitude in clear prints with
good colour so I could not blame the camera).

Braun Nizo
148 Another camera I like is
the Braun Nizo 148 Super-8 cine camera. The camera has an
f/1.8 8 to 48 mm. zoom lens with macro capability.
Filming speeds are 9, 18, 24 and 32 f.p.s. and single
frame. In addition, there is a time-lapse facility,
offering three speeds - 5 f.p.s., 1 f.p.s. and 1 frame
per 5 seconds. Flash synchronisation is possible with 1
frame per 5 seconds and single frame. The zoom is
operated manually or can be power driven using a rocker
switch on the camera top plate. The camera has fully
automatic exposure with manual override. It is finished
in an unusual brushed satin chrome which, sadly, does not
stand up to really hard wear very well. It looks stunning
though, when in excellent condition, and the same finish
was used on a whole range of Nizo cameras including the
S800 which, I believe, was used in Star Trek (episode
'Patterns of Force') when Captain Kirk had to bluff his
way into a conference as a film cameraman. It looked very
convincing too; quite at home in the 23rd century. In
1971 this camera cost about £475 in Britain so it's
small wonder they are not seen very often
secondhand.

Canon
Dial I like to know about
cameras which have featured in TV shows, especially
science fiction shows, which I have enjoyed. The Prisoner
(episode 'Free For All') used a Canon Dial to good
effect. This little camera, marketed in America as the
Bell and Howell/Canon Dial, takes half-frame pictures on
35 mm. film. The spring motor is wound using the
hand-grip and the half-frame pictures are unusual in
being landscape format (most half-frame cameras, like the
Olympus Pen, take portrait format pictures). The camera
has a Canon SE f/2.8 28 mm. lens (takes 48 mm. filters,
which cover both the lens and the metering cell, thus
making adjustments for the filter factor automatically)
with zone focusing, and a built-in CdS meter. The spring
drive powers both wind and rewind. The four speed shutter
is set manually, and the required aperture selected by
the metering system. The satin chrome finish adds to the
futuristic appearance although, like the Nizo finish, it
does not stand up to hard use. In 1964, which is about
the time it was introduced to the U.K., it was supplied
with a pouch case, and cost about £34.

I have used a Canon Dial, and had what
seemed like all of the tram drivers in Blackpool
'tooting' at it; it's a real attention-grabbing camera -
not one to be used by anyone at all shy. Sadly the spring
motor can be fragile, so it is not wise to use the camera
too much. We also find the handgrips nearly always have a
split in the trim.

Note: I like to give price information
in both sterling and American dollars. However, this
information is not always available to me, in which case
I use whichever I can get. I do not convert from one
currency to the other; market conditions vary and camera
prices were often very different in the U.S.A. and
Britain, so conversion would not give an accurate
picture.